


Women's Studies 101

by lunabelle



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-28 05:47:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16717585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunabelle/pseuds/lunabelle
Summary: April Ludgate is the TA forWomen's Studies 101.When Andy Dwyer comes to her for some tutoring, April agrees. Little does she know she's about to go in over her head, and weirdly enough, she doesn't seem to mind.





	Women's Studies 101

**Author's Note:**

> I started this in September 2017. With a little persuasion from a very good friend *ahem anotheropti* I decided to finish it, so you can thank him for this! :D

“Excuse me, um, you’re the TA for this class, right? April Ludgate?”

April looked up from her desk. As the other students around her stood and began shuffling out of the lecture hall, the tall young man who always sat in the front row stood before her looking slightly disheveled, like he had no idea where he was or where he needed to be. His backpack was half open, books nearly spilling out, and he had a pen behind his ear. He ran a hand over his patchy beard and sighed.

“Um, yeah,” she nodded slowly, blinking up at him. Her left hand was still holding her binder in the air. She was just about to pack up for the day.

“Thank God,” he took a seat in an empty chair beside her and chuckled softly. “I’m supposed to schedule a meeting with you or something, and I had no idea who the TA was and I was too afraid to ask Professor Linda or else I might look dumb. I’m Andy Dwyer, by the way.” He said all of this in one breath, his face red and exerted.

April didn’t know where to begin. She was used to students approaching her before or after class, as it was part of her job. This Andy Dwyer guy looked like he was one breath away from some sort of mental breakdown.

“Dude, calm down,” April gave him a small smile. “You found me, okay? Also, didn’t the fact that I was sitting up front away from the other students tip you off as to who I might be?”

“I just thought you liked being away from everyone,” he shrugged.

“Well, that’s true too…”

In truth, April wasn’t surprised in the slightest that they were having this conversation. Part of her weekly duties as teacher’s assistant involved talking with Professor Linda about which students appeared to be struggling with the subject matter, which ones might benefit from some extra tutoring, and which ones were only in the class to goof off. Andy met the first two requirements nicely, and April would be lying if she said she hadn’t been watching him with interest since he arrived late to _Women’s Studies 101_ on the first day of the fall semester, grabbing the first desk he could find and trying every chance he could to answer questions that he usually got wrong.

In short, she sorta wanted to get to know him a whole lot better out of pure curiosity. He looked so out of place there, a big, burly jock type who always wore flannel and ripped cargo pants, liked to drum on his desk with his pencil, and seemed to have no problem making a fool of himself when he gave the most ridiculous answers to the questions he answered aloud. So when April gave Professor Linda the list of names at the end of last week’s lesson, she was pleasantly surprised to see that Andy had taken the professor’s advice to come and find her.

“Okay, well,” Andy took out his notes, “I’m gonna be honest with you, um, I have no idea what’s happening and who this Joan of Ark person is, except that she got burned alive and it sounded pretty awesome because she was so badass about it.”

_Okay, she definitely liked where he was going with this._

“Okay, first things first,” April said, looking over Andy’s notes. They were mostly scribbles with a few doodles in the corners. “My job is to help you guys when you’re having trouble, which you are,” she said pointedly, looking at him and smiling. He returned it with dumb earnestness, and April couldn’t help it when her cheeks flushed. “Um, so typically I look over papers and give studying tips.”

“Sweet,” he nodded, tapping his foot excitedly. “I’m totally in need of some help. We’ve got that midterm coming up and I have no idea how to study for it.”

“Well,” April sighed, handing him back his notes, “how about you meet me at my dorm?” she suggested. “It’s definitely better than meeting at the stupid library, at least. There’s no one else there but me and my roommate, but she’s cool.”

“You sure?” Andy looked at her. “I mean, I don’t care where we meet. My roommate wouldn’t mind either, but then again he gets pretty annoyed when I bring people over.”

“He sounds lame,” April said, rolling her eyes.

“Well, I tend to bring like ten people at a time, so I guess he has a point,” Andy shrugged.

“Just come to my dorm tonight after dinner,” she said, scribbling her number and dorm address down on some paper. “I live in Gunderson Hall. We can go over everything the mid-term will cover.”

“Wow, thanks,” Andy said, taking the paper and pocketing it. “This is so awesome of you to help me like this. I really appreciate it.” He smiled at her again, and it was all teeth and kind, warm eyes.

“Anytime,” April said. “It’s kinda my job, right?”

“Oh yeah,” he said quickly. “Of course.”

They stood up at the same time and looked at each other. April only realized how tall he was when they were standing right next to each other. He was over a head taller than her and she wasn’t even wearing flats.

“Thanks again, April,” he said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

 

April spent way too much time cleaning the dorm over the next few hours. She certainly wasn’t a slob, in fact, she kept things neat and orderly whenever she could. She made her bed, straightened up her desk, and rearranged the joint living room area she shared with her roommate Leslie—who, she hoped, would make herself scarce that evening. Thankfully, April got her wish.

“Okay,” Leslie said, emerging from her room dressed in a pencil skirt and a frilly, white blouse. “I’m off for the Resident Assistant Training Program.” She adjusted her blonde curls in the shared mirror. “How do I look?”

“Fine,” April said, distracted as she moved the couch pillows back to their original position. It was a tiny space, but the two of them shared it without an issue. April mostly kept to her room, anyway.

“Who are you cleaning up for?” Leslie narrowed her eyes. Then, her face split into a wide grin. “Oh! Do you have a _boy_ coming over?” she smirked, stressing the word.

“What are you, twelve?” April scoffed. “I’m tutoring someone, okay?” She gave up after a while and threw the pillows down in frustration. “I just want this place to look good.”

“A _guy?” Leslie beamed._

 _“_ Yes,” April groaned, “a _guy_ , okay?”

“Why don’t you just meet him at the library?” Leslie narrowed her eyes.

“Because I didn’t want to go to the stupid library!” April said, throwing her arms up in the air. “God Leslie, what’s with all the questions?”

“Sorry,” Leslie shrugged. “And you’re right. Who’d want to go to a library to study, anyway? They’re terrible.” There was a knock at the door and Leslie jumped. “Oh, okay, I’ve gotta go! I told Ben to meet me here. He’s doing the training too.”

“Ugh, I’ve told you a million times, Leslie,” April sighed. “You could do so much better than Ben.”

“Shh!” Leslie shushed April as she opened the door. Her boyfriend Ben, slender and nerdy as ever, stood waiting for her.

“Ready babe?” he asked, throwing April a cautious look out of the corner of his eye.

“I can't believe you guys want to be resident assistants.” April shook her head. “That's the lamest job on campus that you could sign up for. You're gonna be in charge of an entire dorm floor and everyone is going to hate you.”

“I’m ready,” Leslie said, ignoring April.

“April, room and board is free if you become a resident assistant,” Ben pointed out. “Plus, you don't have a roommate. It's kind of an amazing deal…”

“Blah blah blah,” April mimicked Ben with her hand, smirking at his resulting glare.

Leslie shook her head. “I’ll see you later, April.”

“Have fun!” April yelled sarcastically.

“Oh, you know we will,” Leslie rolled her eyes, oblivious to the sarcasm. “You too…” she looked around warily, her hand on the doorknob. “Be safe.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know,” Leslie sighed, pointedly. “If you _need_ anything…to be _safe_ …you know I have some in my drawer—“

“BYE,” April shouted, cutting her roommate off, before things got even weirder.

“Bye!” Leslie nodded and closed the door, leaving the dorm once and for all.

April plopped herself down on the couch, nervously staring at her phone. For some reason, and she really hoped she was wrong, she had a strange suspicion that Andy was going to cancel on her. Not that she cared much—okay, maybe a little—but Andy didn’t seem like the type of guy who put much stock into studying…or classes…or college as a whole. He’d probably be like the other losers who agreed to meet her and then bailed at the last minute. The joke was always on them, because the usually ended up failing the class.

April was about to resign herself to the thought that he wasn’t going to show when there was a knock on the door. She shot back up quickly. _Okay, maybe she was wrong._

She checked her reflection, pushing some hair behind her ears before she opened the door. Andy stood there, tall as ever, backpack slung over his shoulder and a paper bag under his arm.

“Hey!” he smiled jubilantly.

“Hey,” she smirked. “You made it.”

“Dude, of course I did,” he walked in and dropped his bag to the floor. “Did you think I was gonna bail or something?” He smiled at her, his lopsided grin wide.

“Well, I—“

“I’d never do that, it would be totally uncool.” Andy replied, before April could answer. He looked around, eyes wide. “Wow, you have a nice dorm!”

“It’s okay,” April shrugged and closed the door.

“How many people do you share this room with?” Andy was entranced with the living space. He walked around, took in every detail of the room, genuinely interested in everything. It was almost funny to April, seeing someone so interested in something so…ordinary.

“Just one,” April said. “Her room is through that door,” she pointed to the left. “Mine’s right through there.” She pointed to the right.

“Woah, you have your own rooms? That’s awesome!” Andy marveled. “I only have one roommate too, but we live in the shitty old dorms. Percy Hall…it’s practically falling apart. We don’t have a living room like this either. We’ve got bunk beds and all our stuff is crammed in one room.” He took a seat on the couch, placing his paper bag on the floor by his feet.

“I guess I just got lucky,” April shrugged, knowing full well that luck had nothing to do with it. The more money you shelled out, the better your dorm was. At least that’s what it was like in her case. Her parents paid a little extra so April could avoid the lousy dorm life. She was grateful for that, but also well aware that others weren’t so fortunate. Even Leslie was only there because she’d won about a dozen scholarships. She’d practically gotten a free ride.

“You like it here?” Andy asked, as April took the seat next to him. “At Pawnee University, I mean.”

“It’s okay,” April shrugged, setting out the textbook and some blank notecards. “I mean, I’d much rather have gone to college out of state, but…here I am.”

“I love it here,” Andy said, nodding vigorously. “It’s the first time I haven’t had to share a room with more than two other people!”

“What?”

“I’ve got six older brothers,” Andy said, a little proudly. “But sometimes it’s really frustrating having to share a bedroom with so many people.”

“Oh,” April said dumbly. She had no idea what that was like. Even at home, her and her sister Natalie had separate rooms. If anything, having a roommate was a foreign experience to her. “So, um…what’s your major?” April wanted to change the subject. She didn’t want to know what Andy’s home life was like, for some reason. At least not now when she barely knew the guy and they had studying to do.

“Music,” Andy said.

“You play?” April asked, genuinely interested.

“Yeah, guitar,” Andy said happily. “Shit! I should’ve brought it with me…I could’ve played you something.” He sighed. “Next time, definitely.”

 _Next time?_ There was going to be a next time? Not that she really minded, though for the life of her she couldn’t figure out why she was okay with that.

“Yeah, maybe,” April said, crossing her legs in front of her. “That could be pretty cool.”

“Totally! Hey, what about you? What’s your major?” Andy asked.

“Communications,” April replied. “I have a minor in Women’s Studies.”

“Sweet,” Andy nodded. “Yeah, I needed a couple more electives, so I thought Women’s Studies would be awesome.” Then his eyes lit up. “Oh, I brought this for us.” He tore the brown paper bag open and held up a twelve-pack of beer. “Thought it might help us study.”

“How’d you get that?” April asked, curious. “Fake ID?”

“What?” Andy looked confused. Then, he laughed. The sound was loud and joyful, and April wasn’t sure how else to react other than stare at him because she was being entirely serious but he seemed to think she wasn’t. When Andy realized she meant it, his laughter stopped abruptly and he cleared his throat. “No,” he shook his head. “I’m, uh…twenty-two.”

“Oh,” April blushed. “Never mind. I guess…um…never mind.” _Wow, Ludgate…way to make yourself look like an absolute moron._

“Why?” Andy stared at her curiously. “How old are you?”

“Forget it,” she shook her head, diverting her attention to the text book in front of them. “Let’s study.”

“No, it’s okay!” Andy said quickly. “I don’t care, April…really, I don’t.”

She sighed. She honestly thought they were the same age for some reason. “I’m nineteen.”

“Wow,” Andy looked surprised. “I’d have guessed you were older.”

“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment,” April said. Smiling, she grabbed two beers and handed one to Andy. “I’d have guessed you were younger.”

“Nah, I graduate in the spring.” He cracked the beer open and took a long swig, while April did the same. “So…you’re a freshman, then?”

“Sophomore,” April said. “I’ll be twenty in the spring.”

“Oh, cool,” Andy smiled. “What about your roommate? Do you like her? You guys get along?”

“She’s fine,” April shrugged, taking another sip of her beer. Maybe it was the alcohol, but she was certainly feeling more relaxed around Andy now. She decided to chase that feeling. The alternative typically sucked. “We get along, but we’re totally different. Her and her boyfriend are at some super lame RA training program or something…”

“Woah, my roommate and his girlfriend are doing the same thing!” Andy said, his eyes widening.

“Really?”

“Yeah!”

“What’s your roommate’s name?” April had a weird hunch. She had to see if she was right.

“Ben Wyatt.”

“No way!” Now it was April’s turn to burst out laughing. She clutched her beer in one hand, trying to avoid spilling it over as she shook with laughter. “Dude! My roommate and your roommate are dating!”

“What?” Andy’s mouth dropped open. “Your roommate is Leslie?” April nodded, still shaking with laughter. Andy joined in a moment later. “That’s _hilarious!”_

What were the odds? Pawnee was a small city, after all. But this seemed way too good to be true.

“How can you live with Ben?” April leaned back against the couch and shook her head, staring up at the ceiling. “He’s so lame!”

“Well, he was randomly assigned to me,” Andy shrugged. “But he’s all right. He’s a good guy and he’s always at the library doing work.”

“Or here with Leslie,” April groaned. “I see way too much of that guy.”

“Well, now I know where he goes when he won’t tell me where,” Andy chuckled. “He’s so busted!”

April couldn’t believe how easy it was to talk to Andy. Typically, she liked to avoid conversation with most people. None of them ever had anything interesting to say. Andy was different. He was just so…positive. April wasn’t used to that in anyone else. Except maybe Leslie. But Andy’s type of positivity didn’t turn her off like usual. Just the opposite, in fact…it drew her in. The minutes were ticking by and they’d barely looked at the textbook. They sat together, smushed close on the little couch, swapping stories about Leslie and Ben, about high school, and even their childhood, while slowly working their way though the alcohol.

She learned that Andy’s dad died when he was young, and his mother had to work three jobs to support her children. She also learned that he had a lot of friends in school, he played baseball, football, and did wrestling, and he was actually in college on a sports scholarship. He told her of his recent break up with his ex-girlfriend, a nursing student who lived off campus with some friends, about how she dumped him at the end of summer and moved on to some other guy within days. Andy didn’t seem phased in the slightest as he poured his history out to her. He was completely candid in everything he said. April had never met anyone like him before in her life.

So, naturally, April decided to confide in him. Perhaps it was foolish, and she would regret it later. Maybe he would laugh at her, use her to ace the exam and never bother to contact her again. She weighed these possibilities for barely a minute before she decided to open up. It was only fair. He’d done the same to her.

“I didn’t have a lot of friends in school,” she said softly. “Actually, I kinda hated high school.”

 _Hated_ was a kind word compared to how she really felt. All memories of high school were locked away in the dark corners of her mind. A hellish four years that she would never want to relive, even if someone paid her all then money in the world.

“What? No way!” Andy frowned and shook his head. “How can you not have any friends? You’re awesome! Who wouldn’t want to be your friend?”

“Well, apparently a lot of people,” April chuckled dryly. “It’s fine, though.”

“That’s stupid,” Andy said. “If I knew you in school I would’ve totally been friends with you.”

April really, really wanted to believe that.

“I played softball,” she offered, hoping her knowledge of this one sport might make him think she was a little more normal.

“Dude, that’s awesome!” Andy smiled wide. “Baseball is like, the boy version of softball, so we played a similar sport!”

Eventually, April persuaded him to focus, hard as that may be. By the time they finally started pouring over notes, April was already comfortably buzzed. Andy, who was so much larger than her, didn’t seem to be fazed at all. In fact, the beer seemed to help his concentration.

“Okay,” Andy scratched his stubbled chin with the tip of his pen. “So I think I’ve got this part down,” he shuffled the flashcards they’d made together over a bowl of popcorn.

“Yeah,” April nodded. “You’ve got a really good memory.”

“It’s so weird, because I can remember stuff when it’s written down like this,” Andy shook his head. “When I see it and look at it, my brain can memorize it. But if I sit and listen and you try to tell me stuff…I can’t really remember that well.”

“I know what you mean,” April nodded, taking a few bites of popcorn. “I like to use the flashcards when I study. It helps.”

“April, you’re like super smart,” Andy shook his head. April felt herself blush. “I mean, you do this all the time?”

“What, tutor people?”

“Well, yeah,” Andy nodded.

“I started doing it this semester,” April shrugged. “Sometimes it sucks, especially when I’m trying to help someone who clearly doesn’t care.” April rolled her lips. “But you do, and I think that’s awesome.”

“Oh yeah?” Andy smiled at her. His green eyes were soft and a little hazy, but April attributed that to the beer. Either way, he just stared at her. It was strange, a little intrusive, but April couldn’t look away either.

“Well,” she swallowed hard, sticking her tongue out to wet her dry lips. She didn’t miss the way Andy’s eyes darted to her mouth, either. “I think you’ll do just fine on the midterm,” she said. “You haven’t missed a single question when I quiz you.”

“You think so?”

“Uh huh,” April stretched, pushing her arms out above her head. Doing so, she bent closer to Andy and brushed up against his side. “Sorry,” she said quickly.

“It’s okay,” Andy replied, staring at her. “You’re fine.”

“Can I…get you anything else?” April took a deep breath, trying to clear her head. The beer was starting to cloud her brain.

“No,” Andy shook his head. “I’m fine.” His eyes never left hers, the flash cards held loosely in his hands. “You okay? You need some water, or—?”

“I’m fine,” April waved his concern away. Yeah, she was a little lightheaded, but at this point she couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol or the way Andy was staring at her. “I’m good.”

“I think I’m gonna cut you off,” Andy said, somewhat playfully. “C’mon, let’s order you a pizza or something.”

“Andy, I’m fine,” April chuckled, reaching for his arm. She felt him tense beneath her grasp, but she didn’t let go.

“Y’sure?” he asked softly, turning his body so he was facing her on that couch.

“Uh-huh,” April nodded. She didn’t realize how slowly she was inching toward him. She could see every eyelash, every hair in his patchy beard. “Fine.”

“Oh...okay, well, good.”

“Mhm,” April let out a shaky breath. She was staring at Andy’s lips, her brain going in a million different directions. Was she imagining it or was he moving closer to her too?

“April, I—“

She didn’t give him a chance to finish. Her lips pressed against his, the warmth of his proximity enveloping her at once. Andy let out a soft sigh, his lips moving slowly against hers. Hesitantly, April reached out and cupped his cheek. Andy melted against her touch, tilting his head into the palm of her hand as their mouths continued to move against each other’s.

The taste of beer on Andy’s lips was overwhelming, but April found it intoxicating. Slowly, with a soft sound, they broke apart, but never moved away from one another. Andy’s eyes were so soft, never leaving hers. He looked completely dumbstruck.

“Wow,” he said dumbly.

“Yeah,” April whispered. Her nose brushed against his.

Another beat, and this time their lips crashed together. This time April opened her mouth for him, felt Andy’s tongue against hers, hesitant at first until April kissed him with more force than before. Andy groaned softly, and April felt a chill down her spine. Without thinking twice, she shifted into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and bracing her legs on either side of him. Andy’s huge hands went to her waist and held on, warm and gentle.

April barely knew him. That thought swirled in the back of her mind as they kissed, as Andy’s tongue pushed against hers and explored her mouth. Yet she didn’t seem to care. It felt right. Now she was in his lap, shoving her tongue down his throat like some hormone-crazed teen. Andy didn’t seem to mind that either.

“April,” he whispered, softly and out of breath. He was breathing hard when they separated for the second time, his hands more firm around her waist than before. April’s fingers played at the hair at the nape of his neck. She couldn’t stop staring at how red and swollen his lips were. Against her stomach, she could feel a distinct change from the front of Andy’s pants.

_Oh God...what was she doing?_

“Yeah?”

“I—“

At that moment, the dormitory door opened in a hurry. Leslie and Ben made their way inside, the both of them laughing giddily at something from earlier. They didn’t notice Andy and April at first, not until the two of them on the couch gasped in unison and pulled themselves away from each other as fast as they could. It was too late, though. Whatever was seen couldn’t be unseen.

“April?” Leslie raised her eyebrow.

“Andy?” Ben said, just as incredulously. “What are you doing here?”

“Wait... _Andy?”_ Leslie looked back and forth. “As in your _roommate_ Andy?”

“Leslie,” April growled. “You could’ve knocked first...” She hurried to smooth out her shirt and run her hand through her hair.

“I...I’m sorry April,” Leslie said softly. “I thought you guys were, um, studying.” She frowned, looking thoughtful for a moment. “I didn’t know you knew Andy.”

“I didn’t know _you_ knew Andy,” April countered.

“Well, I only met him once,” Leslie admitted. “I had no idea it was Ben’s roommate that you were...um...”

“What were you doing, exactly?” Ben asked, looking back and forth between Andy and April. “It didn’t look like studying to me.” He smirked.

“Shut up, Ben,” April mumbled, her voice laced with poison.

Andy shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. “We were going over notes,” he offered, unconvincingly. April looked at him and nodded.

“I guess I figured you’d be done by now,” Leslie said. “It’s almost ten-thirty.”

“We are,” April said, glancing again at Andy. “Right?”

“Yup,” he nodded, gathering his things together. “Thanks April,” he said.

“So you, um...you feel confident about the exam on Friday?” April asked, tucking some hair behind her ear out of habit more than anything.

“Totally,” Andy nodded, gathering his backpack together in a rush. “Thanks for helping me.”

“April,” Leslie gasped suddenly, pointing at the floor. “Are you guys drinking?”

Both Andy and April looked at each other, then at Leslie. April grinned.

“Yeah...so?”

“You’re nineteen,” Leslie frowned. “If you got caught you could get kicked out of the dorm.”

“Are you gonna tell on us?” April narrowed her eyes.

“Well, no, of course not, but—“

“We’re fine, Leslie.” April stood up, and Andy did the same. He scratched his neck awkwardly and wasn’t sure what to do with his hand once he put it down, so instead he held it out to April.

“See you in class,” he said, meeting her stare with a warm smile.

“Sure,” April held his palm in hers in an awkward shake, wishing his warm hands were still around her waist. “See you, Andy.”

 

April didn’t hear from Andy at all the following day. Thursdays they didn’t have Women’s Studies, so she didn’t have an excuse to talk to him, to see if he was feeling as awkward as she was. Maybe he was? Maybe that’s why he didn’t want anything to do with her? She wouldn’t be surprised if he avoided her at all costs from now on.

She wondered what would have happened if Leslie and Ben hadn’t interrupted them the night before. If they hadn’t come through the door right as she and Andy were in the heat of the moment. Would things have progressed further? Would April have _let_ them progress? Would she _want_ them to? Did he want them too? Judging by the strain against his jeans, he didn’t seem opposed to it.

Leslie had grilled her for details immediately after Ben and Andy departed for their own dorm. April didn’t want to get into it, but her effervescent roommate wouldn’t leave her alone.

“What happened between you two?” Leslie had asked. “I thought you were studying!”

“We were,” April had groaned, hugging her arms to herself.

“Didn’t look like studying to me,” the blonde smirked. “Looked a little more _involved_ than that.”

“Look, whatever you saw, it was nothing,” April said, packing up her own things to retreat to her room. “So just stop asking about it, okay?”

That was then, and Leslie had honored April’s request for the most part. Although April had to use all her will power not to ask Leslie to ask Ben if Andy felt as strange as she did.

 

The morning of the exam was a rainy one. Soaking wet, April took her seat at the front of the class as the students poured in one after the other, grumbling and shaking themselves off. Professor Linda had asked how the tutoring session had gone, asked if it was something April still enjoyed doing, to which April nodded noncommittally and blandly replied that it had gone well. The entire time, she’d kept her eyes peeled for Andy.

When there was barely two minutes to go until class began, he stumbled into the lecture hall soaking wet, nearly tripping over the threshold on his way to his usual seat closest to the door. April’s breath caught in her throat. Andy made the briefest eye contact with her before blushing furiously and looking down at his desk as Linda began explaining the details of the mid term, the no tolerance for cheating policy, all the usual stuff April had heard a million times before. She kept her eyes trained on Andy, but he didn’t look up again. The pit in her stomach deepened.

She sat there for the hour, trying to read the book she’d brought along with her like she typically did when Linda gave a quiz or exam and she had nothing better to do while she waited for the students to finish. One by one, students stood up and handed their exams to April as they passed on the way out. Andy was one of the final five still working at the end of the hour, his tongue between his teeth, furiously erasing and rewriting here and there.

Finally he stood up and shouldered his bag, paper in hand. He passed by April’s desk and set the paper down in front of her.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her words stuck in her throat. Andy smiled softly at her, his eyes meeting hers just briefly. Then he headed out the door without looking back, his shoulders hunched and hood up.

 

April was lying on her bed when she heard a knock on the door. Since she’d gotten back from class, she’d spent the majority of the afternoon in her room with her door closed, listening to Leslie shuffling around in the shared common room while chatting on the phone with Ben. At some point, she even heard her listening to some dull Pawnee talk show on the radio. April heard the door open, heard Leslie talking to someone, and an extra set of footsteps before a knock on her door made her roll over on the bed and glance in that direction.

“What?” April called.

“April, Andy’s here,” Leslie said softly. “You want me to tell him to come back later?”

April sat up and frowned. Why was he here? Didn’t he get what he needed from her? Hadn’t he already made it clear that he didn’t want to talk to her anymore?

“No, I’m coming,” she said, groaning as she sat up. Curiosity got the better of her. She opened her door, and there he was sitting awkwardly on the couch where they’d studied two days prior. He looked up at her, sitting up a little straighter as she entered the common room.

“Hey April,” he said softly.

“Hey,” she rolled her lips. “What’s up?”

Leslie cleared her throat. “Um, I’m gonna head to the dining hall. I’m meeting Ben for dinner. I’ll see you two later.” She looked at April. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”

“Thanks,” April nodded, offering Leslie an appreciative smile. Leslie left a moment later, leaving the two of them alone once more.

“Hey, um,” Andy shuffled his feet. “Listen, April—“

“Look, forget it,” she shrugged. “I know, it was weird and awkward and you probably think I’m a loser or something.” The words tumbled out of her before she could stop herself. She couldn’t look him in the eye.

“What? No!” Andy frowned. “No, not at all!”

“Huh?”

“I said, not at all,” Andy repeated. “April, I wanted to come over here to apologize.”

 _That_ caught her attention. Apologize for _what?_ Using her?"

“What are you talking about?”

“Look,” Andy sighed. “Ben and Leslie kinda showing up like they did…I didn’t get a chance to…y’know, thank you for helping me and all that. I just…I went back to my dorm and all I could think about was that you probably thought I was a huge creep for kissing you. I didn’t want you to think I was only there for that…because I wasn’t.”

April wanted to tell him that the thought had certainly crossed her mind. That she felt a little used, maybe even a little scammed. It wouldn’t have been the first time a guy had kissed her to potentially get something more out of her.

“Why didn’t you try calling me?” She looked at him. “I didn’t hear from you…not once.”

“Would you believe me if I said I was ashamed?” Andy looked at his feet. “I didn’t know what to say, and every time I picked up my phone to type something or call you, I felt even worse.”

“It definitely could have helped,” April shrugged, taking a seat opposite him.

“I know that now,” Andy said. “I feel pretty stupid, believe me.”

April bit her lip. “I thought you thought I was a loser, or something.”

Andy’s head shot up immediately. “What?”

“Yeah,” April nodded. “I thought you were embarrassed about what happened…that you thought I was lame or something.”

“Never,” Andy shook his head. “Not at all, April.”

Relief washed over her, and April took a deep breath. He wasn’t totally off the hook for leaving her hanging like that, but his confession certainly helped.

“Listen, it’s fine,” she sighed. “Don’t…just don’t worry about it, okay?” She turned to face him. “How did the exam go? That’s way more important, anyway.”

Andy’s face brightened, his toothy smile returning in an instant. “Oh, it was great!” he said. “I think I aced it! I knew almost all the questions.”

“Dude!” April grinned. “That’s awesome!”

“Thanks to you,” Andy said. “I couldn’t have done it without you, April.”

“I’m sure you could have…”

“Nah, not really,” he grinned. “You were a huge help. Thanks again.”

“Anytime,” April shrugged. “You know where to find me.”

“Do you, um…d’you wanna go get some food with me?” Andy asked, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m starving…and I thought maybe you might wanna eat too.”

“I could definitely eat,” April smiled. “You wanna go to the dining hall?”

“Um, I actually thought I could take you out somewhere,” Andy said, and April could see that he was visibly sweating. “Like, maybe somewhere off campus. Like a…y’know, a…”

“A date?” April offered.

“Yeah,” Andy exhaled, looking relieved. “Like a date…if you’re cool with that.”

“Yeah,” April nodded. “I think I’m cool with that.”

“Oh, sweet!” Andy pumped his fist in the air, and April couldn’t hold back her laughter. “Awesome, let’s go!” He stood, extending his bent arm. April was still chuckling as she linked her arm in his. “I know this awesome Mexican place…do you like Mexican? If not, there’s this diner near City Hall that I’ve heard lots of things about.”

“Lead the way,” she stood on her tip toes to kiss his cheek, and together they headed out the door.


End file.
